Muslim Advocates seeks an experienced and passionate professional for the full-time Director of Development position to lead and manage all aspects of the organization’s fundraising activities to ensure that Muslim Advocates raises the annual and special funds it requires in order to fulfill its vital mission. The development director will manage a growing team and collaborate closely with senior staff and board members.

The Organization

Muslim Advocates (MA) is a leading national legal advocacy and educational nonprofit organization that works on the frontlines of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for Americans of all faiths. Founded in 2005, Muslim Advocates strives towards its mission to use legal advocacy, policy engagement, and education to promote and protect equality, liberty and justice for Americans of all faiths, and to promote the full and meaningful participation of Muslims in American public life. Its experienced lawyers and policy experts address some of the most pressing civil rights and human rights challenges facing the nation today.

The program agenda for Muslim Advocates consists of the following goals:

Protect the Rights of American Muslim Communities – Through direct representation, relationship-building, and community education, Muslim Advocates strengthens and protects the rights of community members and institutions.

With $3.6 million in revenue in its most recent fiscal year, Muslim Advocates boasts a full-time staff of 16 employees and is poised for additional growth. It operates from offices in Oakland, California and Washington, DC.

In 2017, Muslim Advocates worked at the national level to fight anti-Muslim hate and discrimination. Among their accomplishments, they:

Filed numerous lawsuits challenging bigotry & discrimination targeting American Muslims. Seven of those lawsuits challenged the Muslim Ban and its implementation, including the first major lawsuit against Muslim Ban 3.0, ?Iranian Alliances Across Borders v. Trump; and a suit that ordered the State Department to turn over critically important reports about the development and creation process of Muslim Ban 3.0.

Issued? calls for ?Twitter? and ?Facebook? to combat the abuse of their platforms to promote hate and bigotry, leading Twitter to update its policies and delete the hate-ridden accounts of Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of anti-Muslim hate group Britain First, and several other Britain First members.

Joined with others to pressure the CEO of Uber to be the first to step down from President Trump’s business council, shortly after the first Muslim ban was issued, initiating more corporate CEOs to step down and causing the dissolution of each of the Trump business councils? in August.

Created an ?#EvictTheBigots? campaign that helped lead to the stepping down of virulently anti-Muslim White House officials like Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka and helped torpedo the nomination of Army Secretary nominee Mark Green.

Organized over 100 local and national advocates to speak out, urge their mayors to condemn bigotry, and to hold counter-events? that showed unity in the face of hate when the largest anti-Muslim hate group in the country planned a series of marches on Ramadan.

Hosted? a nationwide panel series to discuss the impact of? the Muslim ban, on the heels of the announcement of the third iteration. The panelists highlighted the changes in the latest iteration, its scope, and the ways in which it has already affected local communities.

Issued know-your-rights travel advisories and fact sheets in advance of anticipated travel seasons such as hajj, and hosted nationwide community calls and immediate alerts to inform community members of their rights while traveling after each major change in the Muslim ban.

The Director of Development will report to the Executive Director. S/he will be an integral part of the organization, serving as a member of the senior team and working closely with the Executive Director and the Development Committee of the Board of Directors. Duties include:

Evaluate the organization’s annual financial needs and budget, and, in collaboration with staff and the Development Committee, develop comprehensive annual and long-term fundraising plans to meet organizational and programmatic goals.

Direct strategic participation of key staff and board members in development activities, including guiding the identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of individual, foundation, and corporate donors.

Work with staff to prepare and provide monthly, quarterly, and annual development status reports to the senior management team, Development Committee, and Board of Directors.

Coach and manage (recruiting and hiring as needed) a growing development team, including supervising two existing staff members.

Manage a portfolio of major donors and foundations to meet and exceed quarterly and annual targets and to provide ongoing stewardship.

Support the development staff to implement on-time, on-budget donor events, direct response campaigns, foundation and corporate relations, and all development systems.

Collaborate with MA communications staff and consultants to develop impactful, motivating, and coordinated messaging and communications strategies for events, phone, print, online, and social media channels of communication.

Oversee development calendar for current and prospective foundation funders, and ensuring timely development, approval, and submission of proposals and reports.

Communicate effectively with donors through both verbal and written communication, as well as face-to-face solicitation and stewardship meetings.

Provide fundraising training to staff, board and volunteers when needed.

Participate as a member of the senior team, including organizational planning.

Experience and Attributes

Muslim Advocates seeks an individual with the following skills and experience:

4 to 7 years of senior leadership experience, including a demonstrated ability to manage and mentor diverse teams, juggle competing priorities and deadlines and guide decision-making.

At least five years’ of relevant experience in nonprofit philanthropic development.

Demonstrated ability to manage sensitive and confidential information with integrity.

Have a four-year college degree and a demonstrated interest and commitment to the organization’s mission.

Application Process

To apply, e-mail resume, cover letter and salary requirements to: muslimadvocates@raffa.com (e-mail applications are required). Only complete applications will be considered. For other inquiries contact Ginna Goodenow at ggoodenow@raffa.com.

Muslim Advocates is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. In accordance with federal, state, and local laws, Muslim Advocates recruits, hires, promotes, and evaluates candidates for employment and personnel without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ethnicity, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veterans status, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, ancestry, or any other classification protected by law. Job applicants and current employees are evaluated solely on their ability, experience, and the requirements of the job.

Resume review begins immediately.

About Raffa, PC

On behalf of Muslim Advocates, Raffa, PC is working with the Board of Directors and leading the Director of Development search. Founded in 1984, Raffa is, and always has been, a mission-driven professional services firm seeking to do more for nonprofits and socially conscious companies. We exist to do meaningful work for organizations like Muslim Advocates who are making a difference in our communities and our world.

This position posted on behalf of a client of TransitionGuides, a consulting & education company specializing in nonprofit leadership transition, the associated stategy development & change management, executive search & recruitment, as well as pre-transition leadership succession planning.